Inflatable Mattress Guard

ABSTRACT

An inflatable mattress guard is provided. The present invention relates to a mattress guard having a sheet with side pockets on the top surface of the sheet wherein inflatable bladders can be inserted into the pockets and selectively inflated and deflated by the user of the mattress depending on the user&#39;s needs and preferences. The invention has application to bed safety devices for hospitals and nursing homes, as well as to general use for toddlers and young children in a home environment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an inflatable mattress guard. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a mattress pad havingside pockets on the top surface of the pad wherein inflatable bladderscan be inserted and selectively inflated and deflated depending on theneeds of the user of the mattress. The inflation and deflation of thebladders can be controlled by the user, thereby eliminating any unduerestraint or restriction of movement against the user of the mattress.The inflatable mattress guard of the present invention has applicationto hospitals, and nursing homes, where selective patient mobility andsafety is a priority. The invention also has application to bed safetyrestraints for toddlers and young children, among other uses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beds with restraint systems are well known in the art. The obviouspurpose of providing a restraint system or guard with a bed is toprevent a person from accidentally falling out of bed. The common cribis a well-known bed with a restraint system. In a crib, the child orinfant is protected through side rails that are raised or lowered fromthe outside of the crib by a parent or caretaker. There have been manyinventions in the art associated with different methods of bed safety,these inventions generally involve placing cushions or specificallyfashioned foam cores around the edges of the bed.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,173 (James) discloses an impervious sheet withinflatable sides for babies. In this invention, the sheets of the babybed are formed into a rounded, tubular shape that is filled with air andsealed, thereby forming an inflatable bladder located on the sides ofthe bed. The safety sheet with rounded sides can be used both on and offthe bed, depending on the wishes of the parent. In a similar manner,U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,734 (Pollard) discloses a bed bumper sheet having anarray of pockets in which soft foam cores are inserted to provide a bedguard system to prevent a person from falling out of bed. Pollard'sguard system provides a bumper area within the confines of an enclosedsleeping area such as a crib or bed with rails. United States Patent No.5,421,046 (Streek) also discloses a bed guard system, where aninflatable pad is attached to the rails of a baby crib to form afour-sided bumper encircling the interior of the baby crib.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,130 B1 (Wilson) teaches a restraint system whereinfoam wedges are inserted into a pocket sewn along the long sides of theedge of a bed sheet. The foam wedges provide a mild, yet continuous formof restraint. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,635 B2 (Henry et al.)discloses a fitted bed sheet with bolsters mounted to the sheet. Thebolsters are round, soft cores that can be selectively raised up andattached to the top sides of the sheet or, alternatively, lowered to theside of the bed, where they dangle off the side of the bed.

One problem not solved by these prior inventions is the need for theperson using the bed to individually choose the operability of therestraint or guard system. This problem is particularly acute inhospitals and nursing home facilities, where laws impose strictguidelines on the restraining of patients. There exists a need in theart for a bed guard or bed restraint system that can effectively preventa person from falling out of bed, yet is selectively operable by theuser of the bed. There also exists a need in the art for a bed guard orbed restraint system that can quickly and easily turned on or off. Therefurther exists a need in the art for a bed guard or bed restraint systemthat can selectively restrain portions of a side of a bed instead of theentire side of a bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bed guard systemthat is selectively operable by the person using the bed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bed guardsystem that can be quickly and easily engaged or disengaged, dependingon user preference.

It is further desirable to provide a bed guard system that canselectively restrain or guard portions of a side of a bed rather thanblock the entire side of the bed.

The above-described features and advantages of the present invention, aswell as additional features and advantages, will be set forth or willbecome more fully apparent in the description that follows. Furthermore,the features and advantages of the invention may be learned by thepractice of the invention, or will be obvious to one skilled in the artafter referring to the invention description, as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described inreference to the numbered drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a top angle view of the inflatable mattress guard of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a view of the underside of a mattress employing theinflatable mattress guard of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side perspective view of the inflatable mattress guard ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a side perspective views of various inflatable bladdersconfigured for use with the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a top-side perspective view of an adjustable bed employingone embodiment of the inflatable mattress guard of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6 shows the inflation tubes, motor, and controller of the presentinvention.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and notlimiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appendedclaims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects ofthe invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly showeach element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and assuch, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate thevarious details of the invention in greater clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an inflatable bed guard. In oneembodiment of the invention, a mattress pad (10) (referring to FIG. 1)is provided. The mattress pad (10) has a top portion (14) upon which auser may rest or sleep. The top portion (14) is edged on four sides by ahead piece (18) at the head of the pad, a foot piece (20) at the foot ofthe pad, and two side pieces (22) along each longitudinal edge of thepad. The head piece (18), foot piece (20), and side pieces (22) extenddownward from the top portion (14) of the pad and are sewn together tomake a rectangular fitted sheet-like mattress pad (10) for placement ontop of a mattress (12). The mattress pad (10) can be made of anysuitable fabric or material with known properties of longevity when usedin bedding applications. It is preferable that the material from whichthe mattress pad (10) is made be cotton, polyester, or any combinationof the two. These materials are comfortable to sleep on and can easilybe cleaned or laundered.

To assist in securing the mattress pad (10) to the mattress (12), anunderskirt (30) can be sewn on the free edges of the head piece (14),foot piece (20), and side pieces (22) (referring to FIG. 2). Theunderskirt (30) can be made of a stretchable fabric such spandex,elastane, or the like to allow the mattress pad (10) to be more securelyplaced on the mattress (12). The underskirt (30) can be of any widthconvenient for easily securing and removing the pad (10) from themattress (12). A preferred width for the underskirt (30) is from two tofour inches. Further, the present invention contemplates securing straps(32) being placed on the underside (16) of mattress (12) for connectingunderskirt (30) across the longitudinal sides (22) of the pad (10).Securing straps (32) can be made of any suitable fabric or elasticmaterial and can be either sewn onto underskirt (30) or can be attachedto either underskirt (30) or to the bottom edges of side pieces (22) byvelcro attachments.

According to the present invention, longitudinal pockets (26) are sewnalong the top portion (14) of pad (10) coterminous along one edge withside pieces (22) (referring to FIGS. 1 and 3). Pockets (26) areconfigured for securely accepting air bladders (40) and for keeping saidbladders position along the longitudinal sides of the bed. End caps (27)are sewn onto the ends of pockets (26) and provided with zippers, snaps,velcro, or other closure means for closing pockets (26) after insertionof air bladders (40). Air bladders (40) are provided with nozzle ports(42) for automatic inflation or deflation, as described more fullybelow. In addition, pockets (26) have access ports (28) for allowinginflation tubes (58) to be connected to air bladders (40) while thebladders are located within the pockets.

One novel aspect of the present invention is the disclosure of airbladders having an effective flat edge (44) (referring to FIG. 4). Theflat edge (44) of the air bladder (40) provides for more secure guardingof the patient when the bladder is inflated. Prior art air bladders haverounded configurations that place too much strain on the pad or sheet,causing the pad or sheet to dislodge from the mattress. By providing airbladders (40) with a flat edge (44), the patient can be more securelyretained on the mattress (12). According to the present invention, airbladder (40) can have a cross-sectional shape of a semicircle, with thediameter of the circle forming the required flat edge (44). Anotherpossible configuration for air bladder (40) is a triangle with one edgeforming the flat edge (44). Yet another possible configuration of airbladder (40) is to use three round tubes in the shape of a triangle orpyramid (referring to FIG. 4), where the bottom layer of tubes forms aneffective flat edge (44). The tubes are interconnected such that theycan be inflated or deflated through a single nozzle port (42).

Yet another unique aspect of the present invention is the ability forthe user to selectively inflate or deflate air bladders (40) dependingon need or preference. To accomplish this, air bladders (40) areconnected via inflation tubes (58) to a motor (50) and blower (52)(referring to FIGS. 5 and 6). Motors and blowers are well known in theart and one of skill in the art could achieve any number of motor/blowerconfigurations for successfully building the present invention.According to one embodiment of the present invention, a motor (50) witha power source is connected to a blower (52) for driving air throughcentral tube (57). Central tube (57) is provided with a three-waysolenoid valve (56) for splitting the airflow along adjoining inflationstubes (58), which run to each longitudinal sides of mattress pad (10)for connection with air bladders (40). Inflation tubes (58) are providedwith nozzles (60) for securely and tightly connecting with nozzle ports(42) of air bladders (40) through access ports (28). In addition, nozzleports (42) can be further configured with two-way solenoid valves forcontrolling the inflation or deflation of individual bladders (40). Forexample, if the bed is placed against a wall, then there is need foronly one air bladder (40) to inflate or deflate. By providing two-waysolenoid valves at each nozzle port (42) of air bladders (40), the usercan selectively inflated or deflate the individual bladders.

Yet another novel aspect of the present invention, and an improvementover the prior art, is the ability to quickly and easily install theguard features of the present inflatable mattress guard. An electroniccontroller (64) is provided for selectively activating the motor (50)and blower (52) as well as for selecting individual air bladders (40)for treatment. Controller (64) has bladder selector buttons (70) (whichmay also be configured as a selector knob), an inflation button (66),and a deflation button (68) (referring to FIG. 6). The controller (64)allows the user of the bed to ensure his or her own safety throughselective application of the inflatable mattress guards. In this manner,the user of the bed is not trapped or otherwise impermissibly restrainedwithin the bed.

In further accordance with the present invention, it is contemplatedthat each side of the bed may be protected by a plurality of airbladders (40) (referring to FIG. 3). This provides a unique advantagefor use with hospital beds or nursing home beds, where the head and footportions of the bed may be raised or moved according to the needs of thepatient. By segmenting air bladders (40) into contiguous yet separateportions, the present invention accommodates a variety of bed shapesinstead of just the single, common bed with a flat surface. For example,with the present invention, someone in a hospital or nursing home bedthat has raised both the chest and foot portions of the bed canselectively deflate the middle air bladder (40) (shown in FIG. 5) formore easily sitting up and moving out of the bed without affecting thehead and foot portions of the inflatable bed guard. This selective useof air bladders provides for quicker inflation and deflation of thedesired air bladder and also save wear and tear on the motor (50) adblower (52).

Yet another example of the beneficial advantages of the presentinvention is its use on a toddler's or young child's bed. By providingcontrol of the inflation/deflation features of the inflatable bed guardto the child, the child is empowered with his own relative safety. Thisspeeds the child's development in sleep training habits. Further,through the use of segmented side bladders (40), the invention allowsportions of the bed to be protected, which benefits young children withshorter body lengths. The segmented air bladders (40) also allows aparent to sit on the edge of the bed for reading stories or forattending to the child's needs during the night while still maintainingthe safety features inherent in the inflated air bladder segments.

It is further provided that the air bladders (40) may house pressuresensors or similar movement or pressure detectors such that if thepatient is lodged against air bladders (40) for a certain period of timethat a signal is generated. In this manner, a nursing staff or parentcan monitor whether the user of the bed needs help or other assistanceduring the night.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A mattress guard fitted for placement on the top side of a mattress,the mattress guard comprising: a mattress sheet having a longitudinalpocket along the top edge of a long side of the mattress; an air bladderconfigured for placement within the longitudinal pocket; an inflationdevice operably connected to the bladder; and a control unit incommunication with the inflation device for a user of the mattress toselectively inflate and deflate the bladder.
 2. The mattress guard ofclaim 1, wherein the air bladder comprises a pressure sensor for sensingwhen the user is in contact with the air bladder.
 3. The mattress guardof claim 1, wherein the air bladder has a flat surface aligned, withinthe pocket, along the top edge of the long side of the mattress.
 4. Themattress guard of claim 3, wherein the air bladder has a cross-sectionalshape of a semicircle.
 5. The mattress guard of claim 3, wherein the airbladder has a cross-sectional shape of a right triangle, the righttriangle comprising a short leg, a long leg, and a hypotenuse, andwherein the long leg is placed, within the pocket, along the top edge ofthe long side of the mattress and the short leg is placed on an outeredge of the mattress.
 6. A mattress guard fitted for placement on thetop side of a mattress, the mattress guard comprising: a mattress sheethaving more than one longitudinal pockets along the top edge of a longside of the mattress; air bladders configured for placement within thelongitudinal pockets; an inflation device operably connected to thebladders; and a control unit in communication with the inflation devicefor a user of the mattress to selectively inflate and deflate thebladders.
 7. The mattress guard of claim 6, wherein the air bladderscomprise pressure sensors for sensing when the user is in contact withthe air bladders.
 8. The mattress guard of claim 6, wherein the airbladders have a flat surface aligned, within the pockets, along the topedge of the long side of the mattress.
 9. The mattress guard of claim 8,wherein the air bladders have a cross-sectional shape of a semicircle.10. The mattress guard of claim 8, wherein the air bladders have across-sectional shape of a right triangle, the right triangle comprisinga short leg, a long leg, and a hypotenuse, and wherein the long leg isplaced, within the pockets, along the top edge of the long side of themattress and the short leg is placed on an outer edge of the mattress.11. A method of guarding against a user of a mattress accidentallyfalling off the mattress, the method comprising the steps of: securing amattress sheet to a top surface of the mattress, the mattress sheethaving longitudinal pockets along a top edge of a long side of themattress and air bladders configured for placement within thelongitudinal pockets; connecting an inflation device to the bladders,the inflation device and bladders being in communication with a controlunit; allowing the user of the mattress to selectively inflate anddeflate the bladders using the control unit depending on the user'sneeds and preferences.